The New Fleece Jacket
by Mortuis1
Summary: AU Little Joe gets in trouble for being careless with a special coat he'd wanted for his birthday, infuriating his parents. But they don't know the whole story. Things aren't always what they seem, and it has impact on the whole community. (Loosely based on a true story.)
1. An Irresponsible Boy

**An Irresponsible Boy**

Little Joe Cartwright sat miserably on his bed. He was in trouble, bad trouble, and he knew it. He'd gotten home from school and hadn't been allowed to sit down and have his cookies and milk. He wasn't even allowed to go do his chores. He'd just walked in, got in trouble, was sent to his room to do his homework and wait 'til his father got home. Little Joe was not a happy boy.

But... but... he knew he was in trouble. He even knew WHY he was in trouble. He guessed he'd been disobedient. But still... he didn't FEEL like he'd done wrong. He didn't feel like he SHOULD be in trouble. He was probably gonna get a spanking, but he still didn't think he coulda done anything different. Oh, well. All he could do was wait and see. Even though this homework was finished, he might as well read ahead a little bit. At least it would pass the time until Pa got home.

* * *

Marie Cartwright was furious with Joseph. It wasn't so much him or what he'd done that made her angry. After all, he was only 7 years old, and carelessness was to be expected. But she was so disappointed in him! And she knew, just _knew_, that she was going to get one of her husband Ben's unspoken "I told you so" looks before the day was out. UGH! It was _so _infuriating. He was so accustomed to being right that when she pushed for something against his better judgment, and he yielded just to have things turn out the way he expected... well, it wasn't that he was "rude" about it, so much as that he was "smug". She just _hated _it when he could be smug, at her expense.

They'd argued about the darned new fleece jacket that Joseph had wanted for his birthday. He'd seen it in the Mercantile, and admired it from the first day it was on display. When they'd go shopping there, he would pull away just to go to it and run his hands over the suede exterior and the thick warm sheep wool interior. He'd asked from day one if he could have it, but it was expensive and she'd said they'd have to think about it. It was a wonderful heavy winter coat for him, long enough for good warmth but short enough not to interfere with him riding to and from school on his pony.

She'd decided they should get Joe this jacket that he wanted so badly for his birthday, which would be just before the cold weather set in hard. Ben disagreed, citing the expense and the likelihood that Joseph would just lose it or tear it up in rough play. It wasn't that Ben Cartwright was mean or cheap, but he didn't believe in wasting money either. He thought Joe would be just as well served with a sturdy denim jacket with a quilted insulated lining. Joseph was, in his opinion, too young to take care of a fine jacket like the fleece. But Ben had yielded, just to please her, and along with a number of other gifts for Joseph's birthday, there he had found the fine fleece jacket he had wanted so badly. Little Joe had been so happy with it, and put it away dutifully until the weather warranted it.

The serious cold had set in several weeks ago, and Joseph had dutifully worn and cared for his jacket just as she'd hoped. He seemed to be growing lately as well. He'd asked Hop Sing for a second sandwich and more fruit in his lunch pail each day, and seemed quite proud of doing his chores promptly and properly before and after school. She'd been so proud of how her little man was coming along.

And now here they were, on this bitter cold winter day, as she had caught Joseph arriving home from school without it. He had come in and immediately went up to his room to put down his school things, get on his old jacket, and head to the barn to do his afternoon chores quickly before coming in for his snack and homework. Hoss had come in with him, as Marie was busy changing the Twins after they had napped. Michelle and Benjamin, Jr. were almost two years old now and had been running and talking since their first birthdays! _that_, Marie believed, defined the term "mixed blessing". They were healthy, happy, and advanced in development. It also made them vastly more difficult to cope with than so many other mothers' happy "sleepy" babies who were still crawling and goo-ing.

But in the corner of her eye, she'd seen Joseph heading out wearing his old jacket, and, knowing how bitter cold it was outside, she stopped him.

"Joseph?"

_"Oui, Maman?"_ he replied, often using French for short phrases, as Marie and Ben had raised him in both languages.

"I know you're keeping your good jacket clean, and may not want to use it for chores, but it will brush clean enough today. It's too cold outside, go change into the fleece, please."

Little Joe looked down at the toes of his boots as he said, "I can't, Mama."

Marie was confused, "Can't? What do you mean you can't?"

"I don't have it anymore, Mama. I can use this one."

"What do you mean, you 'don't have it anymore?' Didn't you bring it home from school?"

_"Non, Maman."_

"Did you forget it there?"

Little Joe shook his head.

"Is it damaged? Where is it now?" Marie's voice took on an angry edge.

"I'm not sure, _Maman_. I just don't have it anymore," Joseph was trying to figure out how to explain.

But all Marie could see in her mind's eye, was her husband's condescending nod as he affirmed how right he had been not to waste their hard earned money on an extravagant gift for an irresponsible little boy.

"Joseph, go to your room, work on your homework, and wait 'til your father gets home! I am VERY disappointed in you! Your brothers will do your chores, now GO!" she commanded, in her angriest voice.

Little Joe turned around and dashed into his room as tears filled his eyes. He hated making Marie even unhappy, let alone angry. It was very hard for the children to make her angry, but somehow he had managed it. And, considering the Twins, she'd probably been having a pretty tough day as it was. So, reading his way forward in both history and geography, miserably he waited... for his father to get home.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ I enjoy the Bonanza universe, and hope you like some of these short sniglets that bounce past my mental movie screen from time to time. Please feel free to comment and/or review. Thanks for reading, hopefully enjoying! Grace to you, Gentle Reader! - Mort_


	2. Lest You Enter Like a Little Child

**Lest You Enter Like a Little Child**

Little Joe took a deep breath as he heard Buck pull up to the Barn and looked out his window to see Pa dismount after a long day. Adam and Hoss were still in the barn doing chores, so they took Pa's horse for him and let him head into the house. Ben was tired, cold, and grateful as he patted his sons on the back and stretched his lower back walking up onto the porch. Little Joe just sighed as he closed up his school books and waited, hearing the front door close behind Pa. He knew better than to leave his room. Pa would be here soon enough. All too soon perhaps, as Joe still hadn't figured out how to explain himself.

Joe heard his parents' voices talking downstairs, and his mother's tones reflecting her irritation and displeasure. Pa, he could tell, didn't say very much, though Joe did catch his voice at one point saying, "Really! He _what?"_ and he knew for sure, as if he hadn't known before, that their discussion was about him. He was _so _in for it. So, miserably, he just sat on his bed and waited for the sound, at this moment, he dreaded most.

Then there it was, the sound of Pa's booted feet on the staircase, and then the knock on his door.

"Yes, Pa," Joe answered. "Come on in." Even angry, family manners required a closed door be knocked upon before entering. Joe's worst fears were realized as his Pa walked in and closed the door behind him, beginning to remove his belt even before speaking.

"Joseph? The boys are going to stay outside working in the barn until we call them, so we have the house to ourselves at the moment. That's why you and I are not heading to the barn, as cold as it is outside right now. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am at what your mother has told me."

Little Joe had stood when his Pa came in, now standing before the angry man who'd turned to him, belt in hand.

"You've not been hided before now. But Joseph, you were told more than once to take care of that jacket. Your mother and I discussed a great deal whether you were old enough to have a valuable gift, and she felt you were responsible enough to trust that way. You _knew _that was an important test of your maturity, and it seems in your carelessness that just meant nothing to you. Your mother is very angry, and so am I.

"Now, did you sass your mother about this when you got home?"

Joe shook his head rapidly, "No, sir. I didn't."

Ben tilted his head back a bit. "Did you argue with her at all?"

"No, sir, not at all. _Maman_ asked if I had my jacket or left it at school, I said I did not have it and I didn't know where it was. She then told me to come here and do my homework until you got home, and I have done that."

Ben considered. "All right, wait here a moment..." and he headed out to confer with Marie again.

When he returned, his belt was buckled back through the loops. "All right, son. I thought you'd upset Mama arguing with her, or defying her. Now, where... precisely... is your coat, and why didn't you bring it home as you are supposed to?"

"I don't _know _precisely, Pa! I think it's where it's supposed to be, but I don't know exactly where it is. I _think _I did the right thing, Pa. I _know _I'm in so much trouble, but I really don't know _why!_" Joseph began to sniffle, then weep. "I feel like I didn't do anything wrong, like this was right, but you're mad at me, and Mama's mad at me, but I don't know _why!_" Joseph opened his arms out wide and ran over to Ben for a hug as he wept.

Ben was completely flummoxed and confused, but could instantly sense the innocence surrounding Joseph. The little boy might be _mistaken _as to his blamelessness, but Ben was far too experienced a father to think he was being played. Clearly there was some deep misunderstanding at work here, and whatever Little Joe had done, he didn't mean to be doing wrong.

Ben lifted the boy into his arms and let him cling to him, crying into his shoulder. Ben just comforted him as he walked them over to Joseph's bed sitting down with his son on his lap, comforting him and rocking him to calm down.

"OK, son, let's start again. I'm very confused. Now, why not let's start simply. Where... is the jacket?"

"I don't know, Pa. I gave it away, and I don't know where it is because I don't know where he lives... exactly."

Ben nodded. "I see, now... _whom_... did you give the jacket to?"

It took Joe a long time to respond, as he mumbled something indecipherable into Ben's shoulder.

"I didn't understand that," Ben said, gently turning Little Joe's head out so he could speak more clearly.

"Well, I don't really want to say, but I think I gave it to Jesus, Pa."

This answer electrified Ben. He remained very still and calm as he gently said, "Joseph? Don't worry about explaining anything. Don't worry about Mama, or my questions. I'm just going to sit here and hold you, while you tell me this whole story your own way, all right?"

Little Joe nodded, as he gave Ben a last strong hug, and turned around to lean his back against Pa's chest, straddling his right leg, as Pa's strong arms held him in a hug.

"Well, Pa, I have a friend at school, Scotty Tucker. Remember him? You've seen him at church, sometimes you let us sit together if we're quiet?"

"Yes, I remember," Ben answered, recalling a rather scruffy lad, but with good manners, that he'd seen at church a few times. He didn't remember the boy's parents at all.

"Well, Scotty lost his ma last spring, and his pa is a prospector and worked at the Comstock mines until he broke his arm some weeks ago. His pa makes Scotty go to school, but they're really hard up right now, with his pa out of work and hardly able to pan at all."

"I see," Ben encouraged, knowing that panning for gold, if you have a good spot on a river with good current, some big boulders or a bend, and you're determined... can yield a steady, if meager, supply of gold dust. But the freezing temperatures and iced riverbanks made panning almost impossible right now.

"Well, Pa... remember Pastor Fletcher preaching last week about... I think it was Matthew 25, where Jesus talked about when you visit folks in jail, or feed someone hungry, or give a drink to someone thirsty, visit someone sick, or clothe someone needy... you do that for Jesus Himself?"

"Yes, I remember..." Ben answered, nodding as he began to see where this might be going.

"Well," Little Joe took a deep breath before plunging on to his conclusion, "Scotty's been coming to school wearing nothing heavier than an extra flannel shirt for a jacket. And that's just not enough, Pa! He has to walk too far for that. And he and his pa have only been eating beans, once a day for supper, 'cause that's all they have 'cause some of the other miners stop by each week to give 'em some beans and fatback to help 'em get by.

"So... for the past couple weeks, I've asked Hop Sing to pack some extra food for me at lunch, and Scotty eats some, then takes the rest home to share with his pa. And I skip one of my recesses, and stay inside, so Scotty can use my jacket to go out for one of his. At lunch, I come in after I eat, and hand him my pail and jacket so he can go out for lunch, 'cause we're not allowed to eat in the classroom. And that was going fine... 'til today."

"So what happened today?" Ben asked, as his throat became a bit husky, and his eyes started to water just a bit.

"Well, Scotty came in and he looked really awful and tired. I asked him about it and he tried to ignore me, but I wouldn't let him. Turns out, he can't keep up with the firewood they need, and their little shack is dreadfully cold at night, even though they sleep with their clothes on and huddle together to stay warm. That's when I couldn't stand it anymore. When we got ready to come home, I just put my jacket on him and told him he was gonna take it. He didn't want to, 'cause he felt like it was one thing for us to share it, but he wasn't gonna take 'charity' or take it away from me. I... I'm sorry, Pa... I did a wrong thing..."

"How's that, son?" Ben smiled, doubting it was very wrong.

"I told him he was gonna take it, or I was gonna thump him, and I raised my fist. I'm bigger than him, and he's so tired he knew I could thump him good, so he thought about it. Then I told him about Preacher Fletcher's sermon, and said he needed to _take _the jacket, 'cause since he really _needed _it, and I have other jackets, it'd be me giving it to Jesus. It wouldn't be right for him to stand between me and Jesus, would it? So he took the jacket... Um... don't tell anybody, Pa, but he cried and hugged me. He said he and his pa would use it tonight and maybe get some sleep with that over them."

Ben was grateful that his boy could not see the tears that began to roll down his cheeks.

"So... I don't know where they live, exactly, so I couldn't say _where _the jacket is, but I know... I'm absolutely _sure_... that it's where Jesus wants it to be, 'cause I gave it to Him. So, Pa?..." Joseph said, as he wiggled to get free and stand up, as Ben released him.

Joe stood up square in front of Ben and looked at him eye to eye, as his Pa still sat on his bed. "Pa? If I did wrong, I'm really sorry. But I think I did everything you and Mama told me. I took good care of the jacket, and I wasn't careless, and I didn't 'lose' it. _But_ I did give it away, 'cause Scotty was near enough 'naked' in this freezing cold as I think Jesus was talking about, and he _needed _that jacket, when I only _wanted _it. Those aren't the same, Pa. So if I did wrong, I'm sorry and I'll take my punishment, but it didn't feel wrong. It still doesn't. It felt right, and it felt like what you and Mama would want me to do.

"Did I do wrong, Pa? Or was it right?" Little Joe said in a worried voice, not sure why Pa's face showed tears.

Ben smiled his broadest smile, as he grabbed Joe in a massive "Pa hug" only he could do, saying, "Oh, my dear and blessed son, you did _right!_ You did more than right, and I'm so very proud of you I hardly know what to say. _Thank you_, Joseph. Thank you for having the wonderful caring heart you do, and having eyes to see needs around you, even when we grownups may be too busy to see what's right in front of us. I'm so sorry I was angry with you, will you please forgive me?" Ben concluded, as he released his son to stand before him again.

Joe was absolutely stunned. He didn't remember Pa _ever _apologizing to him, or any of the boys. Pa just didn't DO that, even when they felt he wasn't always fair. He might rethink something, with a bit of a meditative growl... but he _never _said he was sorry.

"Sure, Pa! I know you were just mad because you thought I sassed Ma, or that I was careless. I forgive you. And... and..." Joe looked down at his toes as he said, "And you forgive me for raising my fist to Scotty? I don't think he was gonna take it til I 'got his attention' that way."

Ben struggled not to laugh as he said with a touch of stern in his voice, "Well, son, it's not good to threaten someone, especially if they're smaller than you. If you had hit him, that would have been quite wrong. So, let's just say, you're forgiven for raising your hand to him, but let's not repeat that, eh?"

"OK, Pa," Joseph said brightly. "So everything's OK now? We all forgiven?"

"Oh, more than OK, son. You've taught me a lesson I'll never forget, and I thank you for it. Now!" he said, rising to his feet and reaching his hand out to take Joseph's hand, "Let's you and me head downstairs, get you some cookies and milk, and explain things to your _Maman_!"

"OK, Pa!"

Together, they left for downstairs, as Ben called the entire family into the Great Room, including Hop Sing... to hear Little Joe tell his tale as he got to sit at the coffee table, sharing cookies with the boys as they drank their glasses of milk.

Marie quietly sat smiling as she wept, so proud of their little boy, as the Twins sat more or less quietly on their play blanket, happily mumbling through their cookies slowly distributing the crumbs across their cheeks. She nodded at strategic points in Joe's story, affirming that he had made right choices along the way.

When he finished, Ben confirmed with Adam and Hoss that the winter had been hard on a number of local families and their children. He had been so busy dealing with the Ponderosa, he'd failed to notice the impact on the larger community. He said nothing about all this while Little Joe held the spotlight, but resolved to take up the topic later that night at the dinner table.

When Joseph finished his recitation, Marie rose from her chair to come pick him up in her arms - which, as he was growing, she seldom did any more - and gave him her _biggest _hug!

"My delightful boy," she began, "Thank you for handling your jacket the way you did. You are absolutely right, you did right, not wrong, and I am sorry I did not give you a chance to explain when you got home. I was not right to be angry and jump to conclusions the way I did, and I'm very sorry."

Again, Little Joe was a bit disconcerted by the apology and just hugged her neck as he said, "That's OK, Mama. I forget stuff all the time. I understood."

"Well!" Ben began, rising from his chair as supper was about to be served, cookies notwithstanding, "let's go sit down and eat, and together, perhaps we can put together a plan, eh?" as he led the way to the Dining Table.

* * *

_**A/N:** I enjoy the Bonanza universe, and hope you like some of these short sniglets that bounce past my mental movie screen from time to time. Please feel free to comment and/or review. Thanks for reading, hopefully enjoying! Grace to you, Gentle Reader! - Mort_


	3. Epilogue: Christmas in October

**Epilogue: Christmas in October**

The next day, Ben rode to school with the boys, carrying three pair of heavy socks, a sweater, and a pair of Joe's boots that he'd just barely outgrown, in his saddlebags with him. When they arrived at the schoolhouse, Ben asked to see Miss Jones, and the two of them spoke in private before she rang the bell to start class. She took the items from Ben as he left, calling Scotty to come in a moment, asking him to go to the cloakroom and put on the socks and warmer boots, hanging the sweater up on his coat hook for him to don when he came in and hung up his jacket.

Ben made an appointment to meet with Miss Jones after school, to discuss some ideas he had and get some information from her, and then rode on to the house of his best friend, the Pastor Fred Fletcher. Finding Fred at home, he and his wife Penelope invited Ben in for coffee which he cheerfully accepted. After talking for about an hour, both he and Fred left to take care of quite a bit of business, feeling more than somewhat like Santa's elves.

Ben had two other important matters to take care of, however, and he wasn't about to be sidetracked. First, he went over to the Mercantile, and bought another fleece jacket, identical to the one Joseph had given Scotty, except this one was forest green. Joe was always partial to green, and Ben thought he'd like it. He also bought Joe a bone handled pocket knife that the boy had been asking for for quite a while. Ben hadn't thought he was responsible enough to carry a knife, but he'd now reconsidered that opinion and planned to surprise the lad. When school let out, before the afternoon meeting there, Ben was going to pull Joseph aside for a moment to give him the green jacket, the pocket knife, and tell him that Ben would be doing his chores for the next week. He held himself just as accountable as the boys for using poor judgment, so it seemed only right.

Then, having found out where Scotty Tucker lived, he rode out to their shack for a little talk with Mr. Tucker. Riding up, he could see the little shack, poorly chinked so the winter wind whistled through, but otherwise neat and tidy. He knocked on the door to have it opened by a grizzled looking youngish man, wearing a number of shirts against the cold, his left arm in splints and a sling. He introduced himself, and James Tucker invited him in. Tucker apologized for the cold and not offering Ben coffee, but he was a bit short of anything to offer for the moment, he said with a shrug but without shame.

"That's perfectly all right, Mr. Tucker," Ben said, knocking the snow off his boots, and removing his hat as he stepped inside. "I think I've seen you a time or two at church, is that right?"

"Please call me Jim, sir," Tucker smiled, "and yes, I like for us to attend church whenever we can. Lately, I've been a bit tied up on Sundays, but I know Scott likes to go when weather permits. It's a bit of a hike from here, I'm afraid."

"I understand, and please call me Ben," he smiled and nodded. "Listen, do you have a horse? Or something you can ride? I'd like to speak with you about something, and I'd like to take you to lunch if you can spare the time."

"Well, sir, I've sold off my horses and most things. I have this mule I ride and use for packing. Would that do?"

"Fine by me, sir. I've known a few good mules of my own in my time. Very practical animals for our terrain, especially when prospecting or mining. I've been wondering if you might could help me out with something..." Ben began, as the two men headed towards the little shed Jim used as a barn for his mule, saddled her up, and jogged towards town.

By the end of their meal, Ben learned that Jim was well experienced and educated in mining, and had been on track towards a supervisor's job with the Comstock until his wife's illness. He had a small claim of his own that he was panning to try to keep their heads above water, but medical bills, food, and the time he'd had to spend at home had just wiped out any cushion or savings they'd had. Then, when he broke his arm and couldn't work, life had gotten beyond hard. But he still felt blest to have his health, a fine son, a roof over his head, and a hearty mule. He expected to get back on his feet soon, and pull them over this rough patch.

"Well, Jim, I have some mining interests of my own, and we could use a clerk, a bookkeeper, recordkeeper for the time being who could keep track of yield, hours, pay and such. You seem to know your letters and ciphers, don't you?"

"Oh, yes, sir. I think that's far more important than most people give it credit for. That's why I insist on Scotty attending school, even though... I know... well..." his voice drifted off regretfully.

"I understand, Jim. We've all been there, I think. I know I have. Sometimes we can't send our boys to school with all the things we know they need. But it's better that they go, than not."

"Absolutely! And, Mr. Cartwright? I mean, Ben? I wasn't entirely surprised to see you today. Scotty came home last night with that jacket, and I can't tell you what a godsend it was. It's the warmest thing in our house right now. And I questioned him sore, I assure you, that he hadn't stolen it or pressed Li'l Joe for it. He said Joe threatened to thump him if he didn't take it, and I laughed being able to picture that, so I've let him keep it. But I was going to ask you about it this Sunday if I didn't see you first. I wanted to make sure that was something Joe was allowed to give away, or that he had your permission. I wasn't comfortable about it, I tell ya."

Ben nodded and smiled, as the men sipped their coffee after a hearty meal. "I understand, Jim. Joe did not have permission before he made that gift, but he certainly did the right thing and we're very proud of him for it. You can be just as proud of your boy, too, as he didn't want to 'accept charity' or take the jacket. There's honor to that.

"But at the same time, I know... I remember... times where I've been up against it, and had to sell my last horse to feed my family. There comes a time in all our lives, when any of us can use a little help to get or stay on our feet. People have given me a leg up more than once when I've been down, and that's just the right thing for folks to do for one another. That's what makes a community out of just a town. So... I'm offering you a job, at $50 a month, and I'm paying in advance. You know where my mining office is, right?"

Jim nodded, as Ben handed him his first month's salary.

"I'm going to send a couple of my hands to go chink your house to stop that wind, and they'll be delivering some groceries, wood, blankets and clothing at the same time. They're going to bring you a horse and tack, and fodder. I saw that your barn has room for a couple more stalls, and you have a little paddock in the back that the men will fix up and be sure is usable. Don't even think about arguing. You can't do a good job in my office, if you can't get a good night's sleep, eating decent meals, or you're worried about your boy."

Jim just sat back with an amazed look on his face, trying to decide whether to argue or weep.

"Now, I wonder if you could do me a favor?" Ben asked, before Jim could argue.

"Of course, sir. Anything. What can I do?" Tucker answered.

"I know you're not the only one hurting with this weather and slow work. I understand a couple friends were helping you out as they could. I'd like you to get with Pastor Fletcher, Miss Jones, and me this afternoon at the schoolhouse so we can put together a plan to get some extra food, clothing, and blankets together for Pastor Fletcher to share as needed, when he makes his rounds on visitation. We want to keep it all pretty low key and understated. But see if you can pull together a list of folks who could use a hand right now, and what would be the most help. I know a few folks who'll be glad to take part, and we'll let the Pastor do what he does so well. And, by the way, don't worry about whether folks are churchgoers or not, that doesn't matter a bit. Would you do that for me?"

"Gladly, Mr. Cartwright... er, Ben. I can use Scotty to do a little scouting for me," Jim smiled.

"Good. Well, I'll look to see you at the schoolhouse at 3:00, where we'll meet with Pastor, and Miss Jones. Meantime, go do some shopping, and my men should be by tomorrow. Tomorrow morning I'll come by and take you to the Mining Office to meet the men. I'm sure you'll be the most popular man in camp, since you'll be giving them their pay from now on, saving the ride back and forth from the House. I'm very pleased that Scotty spends time with Joseph. He's clearly a good influence, and now I see where it comes from." Ben smiled as he rose to shake hands with Jim to go about their business.

"Thank you, sir," was all Jim could say. "Thank you very much."

"Well, thank you. It's hard to find a skilled and honest Office Manager and paymaster. I think I may have just done that, and it will be a real load off me, if you work out."

"I'll do my best, sir."

"I believe that, and that's all I can ask. See you in a few hours." Ben said, as they parted ways.

Ben took the next couple hours to ride out to a rancher he knew had ponies and their tack for sale, selecting a good little mare for Scotty and some plain but very serviceable tack to go along with her. He was going to get Jim's horse and tack from his own stock, he knew exactly the one he had in mind already. Then he rode out to his Mine to let Thomas, the mining supervisor, know that Jim would be joining them. He knew Tom would be thrilled, as he hated paperwork in all forms, and that was his only complaint about the job. As expected, Tom was delighted and he even knew Jim and heartily approved of Ben's choice.

By 3:00, Ben rode to the Schoolhouse just in time to meet Fred and Jim arriving. Ben put the reins of Scott's new pony in Jim's hands, telling him to give the boy his gift when class was dismissed. Jim objected, saying it was too much, it was from Ben, not him.

Ben laughed and said, "I tell you what, Jim. Here's your first assignment as money manager and paymaster. You keep track and tally up my investment here, and create a $5 per month set-aside from your salary to pay it off. This pony and tack ran me $8, and I'll give you an invoice next week. Fair enough? I'll not mess with a man's pride, but that boy doesn't need to be walking to and from school or church anymore, agreed?"

"All right, Mr... Ben, you win. I give up. And... thanks... just... thanks."

Pastor Fred Fletcher had just stood to the side throughout this entire discussion, but now just slapped both of their shoulders in camaraderie as he laughed, "Ah, now THAT's the kind of argument I just love to hear!" and as dozens of schoolchildren suddenly burst forth from their schoolroom, and Jim quietly walked over to have a word with Scotty, Miss Jones smiled as she came to the door to greet her guests.

None of them meant to pry, but they couldn't prevent the small tears that came to each of them, as they watched Scotty grab his father in rapturous hug, learning that this pony was now his very own. Jim barely managed to guard his still healing arm, as he returned the hug with the same passion. Together, they knew, everything was going to work out.

Thanks to Little Joe and his new fleece jacket.

* * *

_**A/N:** I enjoy the Bonanza universe, and hope you like some of these short sniglets that bounce past my mental movie screen from time to time. Please feel free to comment and/or review. Thanks for reading, hopefully enjoying! Grace to you, Gentle Reader! - Mort_


End file.
